Out of the box, the T2 looks like a normal LED bulb — nothing flashy. But this thing is feature-rich. Aqara has packed this with support for Matter, using both Thread and Zigbee protocols, which means it plays nicely with most major smart home platforms without needing clunky workarounds.
Here’s what you get in terms of features and capabilities.
Lighting
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The T2 supports full RGB color with a reported 16 million colors. I’ve not tested all 16 million colors and can’t name them - but the standard ROYGBP test demonstrates the vibrance and variety of the colors.
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White tones - T2 supports a wide range of warm-to-cool white tones for circadian lighting (2000-9000k). This is one of the widest ranges available today on both the warmer and cooler ends of the spectrum.
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Brightness goes up to 950 lumens, which is plenty for a lamp or even a small room.
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And it’s dimmable as well. Tested down to 1%.
Connectivity
While it supports Thread and Zigbee, you’ll have to choose which one you use. The lightbulb runs separate firmware versions depending on the protocol. Zigbee will require a hub, like the Aqara M3 where thread only needs a thread border router (also can be an M3). While I like thread, you tend to get more features when paired to Aqara’s hub - like access to Adaptive Lighting - so I’ve stayed there.
But I can attest that thread also works well in daily use.
Device Options
- the T2 comes in E26 base for white only and RGB.
- It also comes in a GU12 style. (I also have two of these in my kitchen hood vent.)
Setup & Pairing Experience
Pairing was smooth. You ensure the bulbs is in pairing mode it will pulse or “breathe” when it comes on to let you know it is ready… then you open the aqara app and just scan the Matter QR code. It will then prompt you to choose Thread or Zigbee. I chose Zigbee and paired to my M3 hub.
Matter
So I have it connected in Aqara’s app first - then through the M3’s Matter support I have it paired to Apple Home, Alexa, and Flic using Matter’s multi-admin feature. In all case it has connected quickly and was ready to use. This is one area where Matter really shines — no extra plugins or weird workflows, it just works everywhere I need it to.
Here’s what I like:
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Flexibility. You get natural white light that can shift automatically through the day, but you can also throw in some color for holidays, parties, or just to mix things up. Aqara’s app also has lighting scenes that can be used with multiple bulbs together.
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Performance. It works reliably on both Thread and Zigbee. It is low latency, responding quickly. And [Knock-On-Wood] I’ve never had one go unresponsive - which I can’t say about other brands.
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Price. The price is competitive - it’s far less expensive than Hue bulbs as a zigbee alternative, but more than you’d spend on cheap WiFi bulbs - but just don’t do that.
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Confidence. Finally, Aqara has been pretty consistent about supporting their products long term and expanding their portfolio, which gives me more confidence in putting these in multiple lamps across my home.
Best Use Cases
Where does the Aqara T2 RGB make the most sense? In my opinion Smart Bulbs are great in Lamps, accent lighting, bedside tables, or anywhere you want both function and a bit of flair. For example, I use these as “light alarms” for my kids to wake up with. I’ll describe this automation in a separate post.
It’s less about replacing all your home’s lighting and more about enhancing spaces where smart bulbs shine. I could get more into my philosophy generally speaking on smart lighting and usability, but will save that for another time.
If you want to see the bulb in action, you can check out the video review I did on my YouTube channel.
